Improvement in railway swttch



` ,com safa-y @than outline.

JOSEPH J, SHAEFFER, or MIDDLETOW, AND CURTIS o. s'rmlvnnrz, or

PITTSBURG, PENNHYLVA NTA.

4 Letters Patent No. 100,707, dated llfarch- 8, 1870.

i'he Schedule referred to in these Lettexga'tept and making part o! the same To all whom z'tmay concern.-

Be it known that wc, JOSEPH J. SHAEFFER, of' Mid dletown, in the county of Dauphin, and State ot' Pennsylvania, and CUn'rIs C. S'rnrxnn'rz, formerly of Middletown, in the same county and State, but now of littsbnrg, inthe county of Allegheny, and Stato ol' Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and uscful Improvements in 'lfranst'erring Railroad (Jars from one ltlack to another; and we do hereby declare the lbliowing to be a t'ull, clear, and exact description thereof, reference heilig had to the accompanying drawings of the same, which make part ot' this specification, and in which- Figure l represent-sagronnd planet' apart-ion of ahdouble solid track, embracing our improvements.

Figure 2 represents a vicw in perspective olport able switch nsedin connection with independent tracks, and by `which they are made, as it were, a single track. Figure 3 represents a similar view," showing the portable switch in a ditierent position.

Figure 4 is a Side and top view of the crossing-rail,

` `with the switch joined thereto.

Figure 5 isa cross-section, showing thc outer rail and switch when united.

Uurinvcntion relates to transferring cars in motion from one track t0 another without the use ot' a movable switch-rail.

We are aware that efforts have been made to accomplish this desideratuin, and while the cars have been changed from one track to anothcr,`the means `by which this has been accomplished are ver y objectionable and defective. That plan which has been submitted to thc publi@ involving| a new construction of'car-wheels, is not only too-expensive, but seeks to attain the object bymoving the cars bodilyandlaterallyby means of a tariug fixed guard actingagainst separate tiangcs on the sides of the wheels.

In :mother plan, the cars have also 'been lnovedlatorally by a thrusting action, so that the. wheels oi' one side thereof' must mount, cross, and pass downtl`le opposite side ot' the rail, which is effected by incans of' a removable convex tln'usting-block placed at the cud ofa fixed switch' in connection \\'ithelevating and riding-blocks on `the inner rail. It is apparent, however, that no plan which contemplates the trailsl'er of' a train of cars by causing the wheels of' one side ofthe ent-ire train to mount and be slid upon and over the inner rail, can be considered as having any practical utility.

It is the object of ourinvcntion to avoid these difficulties and disadvantages, and to obtain a fixed track or tracks, upon which thrcc separate and distinct movements can hc made, by ineaus ot'a fixed crossingr and a single portable switch, with the parts arranged and operating so as to effect the transfer of" the cars from one track to another as it' running on a single track.

In the accompanying drawiugs- A A" represent the two outside rails, and B B the two inner rails of a double track. These tracks are united to each other by means of a pair of' oblique fixed rails, C 0, constituting a single crossing, which may be converted into a switch for either track, as will be presently described.

At the junction of these crossing-rails with the inner rails B and B', are, formed frogs, D, in the usual manner, and a. portion of each inner rail i's'curved to con neet with the frog on the inner rail of the next track, and also to forni a continuation ot' the switch-11u10, as shown at E, in the drawings. A

Suitable spaces, F, are left between the curved portions E and the inner rails, and between the oblique and outer rails at their junction, for theI passage of the flanges of the wheels.

At the junction of each oblique rail C with the outer rail of' each track, a xed guide, G, is placed, so as to leave a sntlcient space between the main rail and the cud of' the crossing-iail for the flanges of the wheels to pass through, and for this purpose th guide is curved inward 'at eachl cud. The object of` this guide G is to keep the cars upon the main track, and prevent the tlanges of the wheels from striking the points 'of the. oblique crossing-rails, when goiugin the direction indieated by the arrows:

iach track thus constructed is .complete in itself',

fand allows the cars to pass over it in either direction without the slightest change or interruption.

To transfer the ears from one track to the other, a single portable switch is employed, which consists of a niet-al point, H, about eighteen inches long, 'and corresponding in height to that of the rail. It is fitted at the j unetion ot' the crossing with the outer rail and forms the point of the oblique crossing-rail.

Its inner side is curved to correspond with said crossiug-rail, and its opposite side is fitted with a convex projection, b, corresponding in forin to the side of the rails, as shown iu figs. 2 and 5, into and against which it is firmly held.

Its rear end, K, is made slightly tapering, and is rehated at c, so as to fit snugly between the end of the crossing-rail and the inner side of the outer rail, and the shoulder (l of this rebate is abutted against the end of said crossingrail, to which it is securely held by a notch, c, made to interlock with the point ofthe crossing-rail, which is also notched for this purpose, as shown in figfl.

lhis portable switch can bceasily and quickly put in position at night as well as ln the day, and as readily removed, while it is held, when in position, by the rails alone, so that it cannot be lifted or thrown ont by the approach or contact of the wheels of the train, because it is held atthree points, viz: at the side by the hollow in the rail; at the end between the rails; and by the notch in the shoulder fitting into a projection on the end of the oblique rail, so that it is perfectly braced against any vertical or lateral movement.

This switch is pnt in place en eitherI track, when it is desired to cross the ears from one to the other; and by its use the cars may have three independent movements, viz: a transferring movement from either track to the other, and a forward or backward movementon the track to which the ears have been transferred, and when so transferred, the switch is removed.

In all these movements of a. tmin, nothing whatever is required to effect its transfer from one track to another bnt to place the portable switch in vposition at the junction ofthe crossing-rail with the track desired to be left, and rice ccrsa. l

In case the switch should be left in its place by oversight or accident, and the trains should be coming in the direction of the heel thereof, it is beveled downward at f, and provided with a groove, y, along its upper side, tapcrinr toward its point, to receive the anges of the wheels, whereby the train will pass over withoutaccident, and with scarcely any perceptible jarring.

Tile switch-ends of the oblique crossing-rails are provided with half frogs, I l', cast with or made separately. and secured to base-plates J, which are secured to the bed of the track.

The removable switch thns made can he carried m) the train, one at the forward and :mother at the rear end thereof, whereby the number of switeh-iemlers' 

